Best Web sites for online shopping

November 21, 2008 5:33:16 AM PST

We're wrapping our week of "saving for the season" by going into cyberspace with the best websites to find great deals for your holiday shopping.Once again this year, going online to get gifts is very popular. You can do it from the comfort of your own home and find special deals that you may not find in stores.

And a survey by Consumer Reports found that shoppers are usually happy with what they buy online; 85 percent say they were completely satisfied online shopping for clothes. And only seven percent of the people surveyed complained about how the clothes they bought from the Web fit.

And one of the reasons people are so happy with what they find is because there are many websites that offer reviews from buyers.

Lisa Lee Freeman of Shop Smart magazine talked about the one site she likes the best for reviews.

"Well, Buzzillions is a great place to start. It helps you focus in on user reviews that are particularly relevant to you. So if you're looking for winter boots that are great in wet weather, you can find just the reviews for just those types of boots. So that's a great place to start your research," Lee Freeman said.

There are also a lot of sites that help you compare before you buy. Lee Freeman has one she likes the best because it offers so many retailers in one place. And not only can you compare, you can also find deals.

"Ebates.com is a great site to check out. It includes hundreds and hundreds of retailers. And when you shop through ebates, but clicking through there first, you can get rebates. And the rebates could be anywhere from one percent to more than 20 percent. And that gets credited back to your account after you've made the purchase," Lee Freeman said.

One thing Lee Freeman says you do need to look out for while shopping on line is the cost of shipping. Some sites may have a good deal on the actual price of the item you want, but ding you on shipping costs. But there is a way to check first.

"One way to avoid shipping rip offs is to go to the website freeshipping.org. You can find out about shipping deals and coupon codes. Also, one of the top sites for shipping is Zappos. Zappos sells both clothing and shoes. And it's free shipping both for delivery and returns," Lee Freeman said.

One last tip from Lee Freeman is to sign up for e-alerts from your favorite retailers. You can get last-minute sales that way.